I am a pro- choice Republican. We are not an endangered species. Since the Republican declared itself pro-life, most of us have been in the closet.

I appreciate that both viewpoints are sincerely held: Pro-choicers believe that the government should not intrude in such a private decision; pro-lifers believe that life begins at conception. I have supported each.

Raised Catholic, I accepted the church’s doctrine that abortion was morally wrong. This was before Roe v. Wade, so in many states abortion was also illegal. A personal experience changed my view.

At 28, pregnant with my third child, I discussed tubal ligation with my OB-GYN. He said I was fortunate. Only because it would be my third Caesarean section would Texas law permit the procedure. Otherwise, I was told, a woman had to attain a mathematical formula of 120, calculated by multiplying her age and number of children. In other words, a woman who had her children without C-sections was required to have four children and be 30 years old before the law permitted a doctor to perform a procedure preventing pregnancy.